The Athletic’s Candace Buckner made quite the noise in the WNBA world with her article on why the Indiana Fever should move on from Sophie Cunningham for the greater good of the franchise. And now, the woman of the hour has spoken up, saying that no amount of criticism will change who she is.
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“I literally don’t even care what anyone says about me anymore because I’ve said this so many times. If you’re going to live by the praise, you’re going to die by the hate. The majority of these people have never picked up a ball in their entire lives, and they’re just thirsty to be relevant in some type of way.” Sophie Cunningham told Drew Hanlen on the latest episode of No Hesitation on YouTube.
“And no matter what anyone says to me, I’m going to continue to do me. I know what I bring to the table. It’s not always in the stat sheet. And so, for you to not say I’m effective or any of that, whatever. S*** it.” The Fever guard added.
In the article, Buckner basically expressed that Cunningham takes the attention away from basketball. She went on to throw a jab at Cunningham’s effectiveness for the Fever on the court as a bench player, which is what prompted the 30-year-old to say her impact is not limited to the stat sheet.
“Go to Chicago, or Portland. Or maybe Toronto could use a 30-year-old unrestricted free agent who averages fewer than 8 points a game, while her latest TikTok videos are good for about 2 million views a pop. Or perhaps expansion Cleveland can take her in 2028, unless of course she hasn’t already dropped basketball entirely by then to become a professional UFC ring girl, or full-time finger-pointer.” Buckner wrote.
In the regular season, Cunningham averaged 7.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists on 46% field goal efficiency. While these are not groundbreaking figures, No Hesitation’s co-host Drew Hanlen skipped over talking about the “personal attacks” he feels Buckner wrongfully targeted towards Cunningham and brought out the numbers to reveal just how important the 30-year-old was for the Fever coming off the bench.
“So first thing in the article, it said, what team would want a bench player that only averages eight points? Well, she was the fourth-leading bench scorer in the W. So a lot of teams would want a top-five bench scorer that also happens to be a top-five three-point shooter in the entire league, not just bench players.”
“And then the second thing was, even if Cunningham’s effectiveness on the court didn’t shine, and the key word was effectiveness. In the entire WNBA, Sophie was fourth in effective field goal percentage at 60.8%. So questioning your effectiveness when you were the fourth most effective player by definition was crazy.” Hanlen said.
The Commissioner’s Cup tie with the Connecticut Sun was the perfect example of Cunningham’s excellence coming off the bench. With 3:56 remaining in the fourth quarter, the guard completely took over down the stretch, scoring the Fever’s final 11 points. She hit three consecutive shots from outside the arc, including a dagger triple with 23 seconds left on the shot clock, and added a tough drive to the basket to seal an 85–75 win.
Reassuringly for Cunningham’s fans, she and Hanlen are not the only one who believes she has impacted the Fever in more ways than one. In Indiana Fever General Manager Amber Cox’s exit interview, she also talked about the 30-year-old’s importance on head coach Stephanie White’s team.
“Sophie’s had two really productive years for us in terms of shooting the basketball. She is a really solid leader in the locker room, a great connector. She brings levity, but also brings a lot of experience, and she’s serious and is an important voice in our locker room when we need it.” Cox said.
In addition, Cox was also asked about whether Cunningham’s “outside stuff” influences how the Fever evaluate her for next season. But the Fever GM replied with a resounding “No” before shifting the discussion to Kelsey Mitchell’s free agency situation.
The “outside stuff” can be traced back to what happened in July, when Sophie Cunningham sparked a nationwide controversy for her stance on transgender athletes in an ESPN profile. Instances like these are the main reason Buckner believes that Cunningham is too “combustible” and the Fever should let go of her to put the focus back on the hardwood.
Regardless, Cunningham’s latest comments suggest she will stay true to herself, which means the Fever are still prone to the outside noise that the 30-year-old guard brings with her. A long offseason awaits her and the Fever, so it will be interesting to see how Sophie Cunningham’s future shapes up this winter.